


Liebestraum (Love Dream)

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Pianist, Fluff and Humor, Happy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 14:06:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14113977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: And sure, Renjun never liked music much, but Jeno made him like it. Jeno made him love it. Jeno made him want to never stop listening to music, and to put it on repeat for the rest of his life. Because when Renjun was with Jeno, everything was in colour. Every note that Jeno played burst into songbirds and blue and reds and yellows.Because Jeno played pink, and magenta, and every single colour related to love.





	Liebestraum (Love Dream)

Renjun wasn’t really sure how his day ended up like this.

He was sitting on his bed, trying to finish his Physics project, when a loud sound echoed through his entire room. What the hell—

Oh.

Renjun peered out his window, and his momentarily puzzlement was solved. Because there, right outside his house, was an older boy with unruly, black hair playing the piano. How did he even manage to lug a piano there in the first place? Really, it was quite a strange sight.

And the older boy wasn’t even that good. Sure, he was pounding on the keys with vigour, but it just sounded like noise. And Renjun was never someone who identified well with music. In fact, music was the only class Renjun failed when he was still in elementary school. As an academic person, the fat F on his report card put a dent in his ego, and he held a petty vendetta towards music ever since.

But now, the stupid boy who was probably in college was playing an annoying song that Renjun didn’t recognize outside Renjun’s window, and he was ready to go down there and give the him a piece of his mind. Not only had it been a long day, but Renjun also had a splitting headache from all the reading and writing he was doing (if he heard the word ‘viscosity’ one more time, he was going to go bat-shit insane).

So, with that in mind, Renjun thought that his next action could be excused. He opened the window, stuck his head out, and promptly yelled down to the older boy below, “Oi, annoying piano person. Stop making noise.” And as an afterthought, he added, “Please.”

The older boy stopped, fingers coming to a pause, and he looked around with a bewildered face. He looked embarrassed enough that Renjun felt a rush of satisfaction. Hah, a taste of your own medicine, Renjun almost ground out. But He didn’t, because the older boy was still looking around like a lost puppy.

But then he saw Renjun’s head poking out the window, and he glared daggers in Renjun’s direction, eyes flaring so bright that Renjun swore he was blinded for a second. And then he stuck his tongue out at Renjun and flipped him the bird, much to Renjun’s chagrin (and mild amusement). So, with equal embarrassment—but still a lot of satisfaction—Renjun slunk back into his room and shut the window, wallowing contently in the silence that followed…

…for approximately fifteen seconds.

Because after that short period of peaceful quiet, the horrible music started again. It was a different song this time, but just as terribly played as the last. And fuck, Renjun wanted to pour a bucket of water on the older boy’s head. But he would probably get arrested for assault, so Renjun simply tried to deal with the migraine bulldozing the inside of his brain.

When the piano started to pick up volume and intensity, he could feel every ounce of stress and frustration explode all at once, and he stuck two fingers into his ears before collapsing onto his bed, his Physics project going everywhere. 

Homework be damned. He wasn’t going to get any work done like this anyway. And besides, he was only 17. School wasn’t the most important thing in the world, and he could get the project done tomorrow. It wasn’t like he procrastinated until the last second. He still had three days to do it, and it wasn’t like the older boy was going to be playing outside his window for three days straight, right? Surely he would have his college assignments to do as well.

Renjun groaned, burying his face into his pillow, and he contemplated if suffocating himself would be worth it if it meant escaping this noisy hell. Why wasn’t his room soundproof? He needed new windows. He was pretty sure that it wouldn’t be a problem to afford, seeing as Qian Kun—his guardian—was a lawyer. And he was also pretty sure that Kun would have no problem in catering to Renjun’s every need. After all, Kun was desperate for Renjun to accept him, and Renjun was completely ready to use that to his own advantage.

He smiled, wondering almost too happily what a room without the piano sound would feel like.

But that happy thought was instantly wiped away, and Renjun almost screamed out loud when the song switched again, this time to a faster and rougher one. It sounded, to Renjun, like an elephant sat on someone’s foot, and the piano playing was the poor person’s screams.

Okay, maybe that was a slight over exaggeration, but you got the point. The point was that the playing was worse than a three year old’s, and Renjun was ready to bet that the rest of the residents living on his street would agree. He was surprised that no one else had told the older boy to stop yet other than him.

Hopefully, he would stop in a couple of minutes, and Renjun could continue on with his life as if nothing had ever happened. And then he could forget about the black haired, sharp jawed older boy completely, and finish his Physics project in peace.

Sadly, nothing ever went as Renjun planned.

The guy played for another solid two hours after Renjun disrupted him, and he seemed to play with a vengeance. It was almost as if he knew that Renjun was still fucking annoyed, and he was playing as loud as he could on purpose just to get back at Renjun for yelling at him.

Or maybe Renjun was just paranoid.

But Renjun was certain that he heard the older boy yell, “Take that, grumpy, short guy,” at one point. And he was also certain that, when he poked his head out the window for the second time, the older boy stuck his tongue out at Renjun. And then he proceeded to toss in a cheeky smile when he saw Renjun’s enraged face.

The nerve of that brat.

Renjun probably would’ve started shouting swear words if it wasn’t for the mom and the baby carriage politely listening to the older boy’s so called “music” on the sidewalk. Seriously, why was that lady even bothering? Did she want her baby to grow up with a scarring memory of this awful piano playing?

But finally, finally, after the longest two hours of Renjun’s life, the guy left, lugging his piano behind him with an unnecessary last glance at Renjun and an unnecessary middle finger. Actually, now that Renjun was looking at the piano properly, it was quite small. And it was on wheels. Huh, so that was how that boy got it all the way there.

Maybe if Renjun ran down right that instant, he could break the wheels of the piano and never hear from the wannabe pianist again. But then again, the dude wouldn’t be able to take the piano home if the wheels were broken, and more than anything Renjun wants him to take the damned thing home. And preferably keep it at home, where it could never bother Renjun again.

But the older boy left, and Renjun could finally hear his own thoughts properly again, as well as the static emptiness of his room. He sighed, collecting his scrambled project from around his floor and bed, and he picked up his pencil, tapping in onto his leg. Where did he leave off again? Right, viscosity. Renjun grimaced at the word, and on second thought, the Physics project could wait just a little longer.

His stomach growled, and Renjun decided that that was more worth his time to deal with than a stupid project, so he left his room and ventured into the kitchen, feeling, somehow, more isolated than before. I couldn’t be because of that terrible piano playing, right? After all, Renjun didn’t think he would ever miss it.

Biting his lip hard, Renjun opened the fridge and sighed, rummaging through the endless packages of wilted lettuce and moldy lemons. Was there anything to eat? Leftover, leftover, leftovers—aha! His eyes landed on some microwavable lasagna, and Renjun hummed in indifference. Lasagna would be adequate, and he was craving something comforting right now. And so, lasagna it was.

Renjun pulled it from the fridge, glancing out the kitchen window and at the darkening sky. The moon was crescent, and there was a cloud covering the middle of it. It was picturesque, and if Renjun was more artistic, he would’ve appreciated it more. But the only thing he had the mind to appreciate right now was the lasagna, so he popped it in the microwave and waited.

And waited.

The clock ticked and ticked, but time only seemed to move slower. And for some unexplainable reason, Renjun felt like he left something behind. But he couldn’t figure out what it was for the life of him.

He was probably just irked because he left his Physics project unfinished. Yeah, that was probably it. Or maybe the missing feeling was from the crater in his stomach.

Food first. Deep, existential thoughts later.

Finally, the microwave gave out shrill sound, indicating the termination of the complicated and meticulous cooking process. Renjun, with a some form of content, fished the soggy meal from out of the microwave, took a fork from the drawer, and dug into it still standing.

It was hot, and frankly, quite gross. But Renjun sucked it up and ate through it, finishing it all in ten minutes. After wiping his hands, washing the fork, and tossing the package away, he looked around. It was only 8 o’clock at night. What was there to do to pass the time?

Doing homework was out of the question, seeing as Renjun’s head was hurting so much that he could probably cry on will. And watching television sounded even worse. Absent mindedly, Renjun twisted his t-shirt around in his fingers as he tried to think.

He could read a book, or take a bath.

Actually, baths were gross and filthy. He would much rather take a shower.

Renjun’s brain seemed to be going off on a tangent, so he shut if off effectively, marching back up to his room to do something more or less productive. Just not as productive as school stuff.

Maybe he could knit.

Renjun instantly lit up at the idea, shaking away the heaviness his limbs started to develop from standing in the same spot for too long. And yes, Renjun liked to knit. And no, he didn’t see it as a problem. His mother taught him, and he enjoyed it enough to continue it as a pastime. So why not now, when every other option sounded equivalent to falling into Satan’s butthole?

Renjun rummaged through his closet, getting out his knitting needles and his wool. And slowly, with the ease of practice, he fell into the methodical twisting and flicking pattern of knitting. It was relaxing, and the dark blue yarn would make a nice scarf. Not a scarf Renjun would wear, but a nice scarf none the less. Besides, he could always give the scarf to his old neighbour and classmate, Hina. She liked scarves, and was always wearing the same red one every day. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to change it up.

Musing, Renjun continued knitting until it was well past 10, and then he put the materials away and yawned. He felt exhausted, both mentally and physically. And to be honest, he just wanted the week to be over and done with. But alas, it was only Wednesday, so he had another two days to go before school would grant him the mercy of a break. And so, he sucked it up took a couple of deep breaths.

Whatever. School wasn’t the end of the world. He would be fine. After all, learning was something that Renjun enjoyed. It was the process of the learning that he thought could use some brightening up. After all, the mind-numbing hours of doing worksheet after worksheet were enough to drive even the most logical man insane.

Mumbling incoherent phrases that even Renjun himself wasn’t aware of, he trudged to the bathroom and prepared to get ready for bed. Thankfully, the knitting helped with his headache, and all that was left was a dull throbbing. He could deal with the slighter pain, and he was thankful that he didn’t have to take any Tylenol this time because it tasted like shit.

Sleep, sleep, sleep. He chanted it like a mantra, over and over again in his head. He hadn’t been sleeping properly the past few days. And sure, it was a common occurrence, but Renjun really needed to sleep. But then again, he also needed to grow, and it didn’t seem like he was getting much of either.

 

That hooligan was playing the fucking piano again.

Why was he playing the fucking piano again?

Renjun banged his head on his desk, something that he rarely used. He decided to switch it up and be more organized today, but it seemed like the desk was only a way to give himself another headache. And god knows that he didn’t need any more of those.

But, Jesus Christ, this older boy was annoying. As if one day of piano playing wasn’t enough, but he had to come back for an encore. For fuck’s sake. Renjun was ready to shove the older boy into the streets and act like it was an accident.

Whoa, that was a rather violent turn of thoughts. Renjun shook his head, blinking rapidly as his dispelled the literally murderous direction of his brain.

Renjun still couldn’t identify the song, but it was—thankfully—slightly more bearable than yesterday. It was slow and a little melancholic. And when Renjun glanced out the window for a one-second look, the guy was even swaying with the music.

It was…cute.

Wait, what?

No, bad Renjun. Don’t think about that annoying older boy like that. He was not cute. The older boy was NOT CUTE.

Sure, the older boy had a brilliant smile that Renjun could see even from the second storey. And sure, the older boy had cute hair. But cute hair did not make a cute person.

Fuck, Renjun couldn’t even fool himself. Alright, the older boy was cute. Sue him (don’t actually. Not that you would be able to seeing as Kun’s really good at his job). But it wasn’t like he liked the older boy. No, the older boy was still annoying, and his good looks weren’t worth anything if his personality was anything like the one Renjun had the pleasure of witnessing. Besides, Renjun didn’t even know the older boy’s name.

But that wasn’t the point. The point was that it was Thursday afternoon, and Kun left Renjun some money to go out and buy himself dinner. And there were two problems with that. One, Renjun was still trying to finish his Physics project, and it was going nowhere. And two, he couldn’t leave the house because that would mean walking past the older boy. And he didn’t trust that hooligan for a moment.

But after another half an hour of working, and another half an hour of listening to an abundance of miserable piano songs that Renjun didn’t know, the rumbling of his stomach got the better of him. And so, he went downs the stairs, scooped up the money, and left the house.

It was bright out, not that it was surprising considering it was spring. But even so, it was hot, and Renjun could barely see against the setting sun. His hoodie and skinny jeans weren’t exactly appropriate, but after locking the door, Renjun was too lazy to go back in a change. So he dealt with the humidity and walked forwards, closer and closer towards the stupid older boy and the piano.

For some reason, the piano was quieter in the streets than it was in Renjun’s bedroom, and it made absolutely no sense. Maybe the older boy somehow installed a speaker into Renjun’s room just to troll him.

Shaking his head at the ridiculous thought, Renjun walked forwards, turning his head when he passed the older boy so he wouldn’t get noticed.

No such luck.

“Hey, asshole,” the older boy yelled, somehow sounding cheerful despite the bite to his words. Renjun winced, begging his feet to keep moving, but he was rooted in his spot. “You’re the one who was all rude and stuff the other day, right?”

Renjun snorted, turning around. “Rude and stuff? Wow, you really have a way with words.”

The guy rolled his eyes, stopping his piano playing, and beckoned Renjun to come closer. And for some bizarre reason that Renjun couldn’t explain, he complied. Maybe it was something about the older boy’s face, but Renjun didn’t want to say no.

Or maybe Renjun was just delirious from the heat.

Yeah, that was probably the answer.

At five in the evening, there weren’t many people on the street. And the few people who walked past didn’t give Renjun or the guy a second glance.

Renjun walked up to the older boy, and the guy rested his elbows on the edge of his piano, leaning forward to that he was closer to Renjun. Renjun fought the urge to cringe away. Or to slap the older boy. Or both.

“I’m Jeno,” the guy said, sticking out a hand for Renjun to shake. Renjun glanced at the sweaty hands, not even bothering to make an effort of taking them, and the older boy, who Renjun now knew as Jeno, simply let his hand drop, smiling brightly.

“I didn’t ask for your name,” Renjun replied, schooling his face to look bored. He didn’t understand why Jeno was introducing himself. And he didn’t understand why Jeno wasn’t yelling insults at Renjun. After all, last time Renjun checked, Jeno should be mad at him.

“Well, I gave it to you anyway,” Jeno shrugged, still smiling brightly.

Renjun glowered. “Why are you talking to me? I thought we established that we hated each other.”

Jeno cocked his head. “Did we? The only thing I established was that you’re an asshole. A cute asshole. But still an asshole.”

Renjun blinked.

Jeno blinked.

“A what?” Renjun shrieked, slamming his hands onto Jeno’s piano. No, he wasn’t affronted by the ‘asshole’ part. He was more affronted by the ‘cute’ part.

Jeno laughed, loud and vibrant. And okay, maybe Jeno’s laugh was ridiculously attractive, but that was it. Renjun was not infatuated with this older boy in the slightest, and Jeno was nothing but a pest. A hot, smiley pest. But still a pest.

“And besides. I don’t hate you. Sure, you gave me a fright yesterday, but I think I was probably bothering you. Sorry for that. And also, sorry for flipping you the bird after,” Jeno said, still leaning forwards with his eyebrows furrowed.

And fuck, Jeno sounded sincere.

Renjun sighed, grumbling out a, “It’s fine.” But only because he had to. And no, it was totally not because he wanted to see that brilliant smile on Jeno’s face again.

And no, he totally didn’t swoon when that was exactly what he got.

“Thanks. And hey, I meant what I said. You’re really cute.”

Renjun blushed.

“Go out with me.”

Renjun spluttered.

“What?!” Renjun yelled, throwing his hands up into the air. “We’ve only just met. What the hell are you smoking?”

Jeno’s eyes twinkled, and he fished out a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling something down. “Here.” He gave Renjun the paper, and folded his legs underneath him on his piano stool. “Call me whenever. God knows I have too much free time. And also, it’s just to hang out. It’s not like I asked you to take me to your sex dungeon or something.”

“I do not have a sex dungeon,” Renjun ground out, feeling himself blush all the way to his neck. And now that he knew Jeno’s number was written on the folded piece of paper in his hand, he wasn’t sure what to do.

Why was Jeno even pursuing him? If Renjun thought that annoying Jeno would get Jeno to like him, he would’ve never done it in the first place.

“Sure you don’t,” Jeno said flippantly, and Renjun bristled. “But seriously. Call me. I’m always bored, and there’s nothing to do besides annoying cute neighbours with my bad piano playing.”

At least Jeno knew he was bad at playing the piano.

“I can’t go out with you. You’re an older boy, probably in college! And besides, you don’t even know my name,” Renjun said, trying to find an excuse. And it wasn’t exactly because he didn’t want to go out with Jeno. Jeno was…nice? But Jeno also looked mature and happy, and Renjun didn’t want to ruin that with his glum mood and life problems. Most of those problems being that he was a pessimistic teenager.

“I’m not a college boy!” Jeno stated indignantly, puffing out his cheeks as if to prove his point. And it was hilarious because he looked just as mature as before...yet hilarious and adorable. Fuck, how many synonyms of ‘cute’ could Renjun find to describe Jeno?

Attractive, endearing, charming, pleasing to the eyes, adorable. Fuck, the older boy was adorable AND hot.

“Oh yeah?” Renjun challenged, trying to get rid of the distracting thoughts. “How old are you?”

“I’m 17!” Jeno said, almost too proudly.

Renjun raised an eyebrow, taking in Jeno’s sharp features. The boy was big, built, and pretty tall. And he looked like he could pass for 19.

“I don’t believe you,” Renjun said, crossing his arms. And he didn’t. There was no way that this bright-eyed older boy was 17. For one, 17 year olds didn’t have eyes that pretty, or eyelashes that long, or skin that good.

“No, really! Here.” Jeno flipped out his student I.D. out of nowhere and pushed it towards him, and Renjun glanced at it closely. He found that Jeno’s birthday was April 23rd, and that he was, indeed, 17.

“You're younger than me by a month,” Renjun pointed out, and Jeno huffed.

“Really? Anyway...I proved you wrong. And besides, you don’t look older than me.”

“I’m still older by a month! Even if I don't look like it.”

“My point exactly!” Jeno said, and Renjun sighed. He really wasn’t getting out of this one. “Besides. It’s just one…erm…date. If you don’t like it, we don’t have to go on another.”

“You still don’t know my name.”

“Then tell me.”

Jeno stare at Renjun, challenging him, and Renjun gave in. “It’s Renjun,” he grumbled, tightening his fists only to accidentally crumble the paper with Jeno’s number on it.

“Renjun. That’s nice. I…um…look forward to knowing you better…if you accept the date offer…and stuff.” Jeno was blushing, his ears turning red at the tips, and Renjun might had been slightly too amused by the way Jeno had trouble finding his words.

And one date. One date couldn’t hurt. Renjun didn’t date much, but when he did, it wasn’t that bad. For instance, there was Mark Lee who was pretty nice. And Ningning was sweet too. So, rolling his eyes, Renjun nodded reluctantly (not actually reluctantly). “Fine. One date.”

He didn’t miss the way Jeno’s shoulders fell in relief, or the shit eating grin taking over Jeno’s face. And it was the first time that it occurred to Renjun that Jeno probably knew Renjun before Renjun knew Jeno. Just how long had Jeno been watching Renjun before he decided to start playing the piano outside of Renjun’s house?

But then again, that was what Renjun got for living in a house next to a busy road. Kun could’ve bought a house in a neighbourhood instead of a house on the streets. But Kun was weird in certain ways, and he hated neighbourhood houses.

It also occurred to him and Jeno setting the piano outside of Renjun’s house was probably no accident. After all, normal people didn’t go after the person who insulted them just because said person was hot. No, Jeno definitely had this planned out.

Renjun almost chuckled at the thought, reminiscing of his younger years when he pined after other people.

“Just one date,” Renjun repeated. “Don’t get too excited.”

But Jeno got excited anyway, even going as far as to jump from his piano stool and give Renjun a hug.

“Thanks, Renjun. You won’t regret it.”

Jeno was still smiling wide and bright, and Renjun was still hungry. So Renjun bid his goodbyes, and started walking to get food significantly later than he anticipated. And as he walked down the streets, he found that he was in high spirits, and that he had tucked Jeno’s number safely into the pocket of his jeans.

Humming, Renjun entered a small café, hands playing with the piece of paper in his pocket. And as he waited in line, he muttered to himself, “Idiot, you could’ve just put your number on my phone.”

And all the way back at Renjun’s house, Jeno started packing up his belongings to get ready to go home, when a thought occurred to him. “Huh. I could’ve just put my number on his phone.”

 

Renjun didn’t text Jeno. No, he could do better. Instead of texting Jeno, Renjun waited until Jeno showed up outside his house again, playing the piano.

And Jeno delivered. Indeed, he showed up outside of Renjun’s house. And indeed, he brought his piano and a stack of sheet music, along with a rolling stool. And Indeed, Jeno began to play more bad music.

However, Renjun definitely got more than he bargained for, because he didn’t expect Jeno to show up short-shorts and a tank top.

Jesus fucking Christ. God is real. God is real, and he’s right outside his house.

Because Jeno was really hot as fuck. Hot, adorable, and sassy all in one. A triple threat.

Renjun flushed, looking out his window at Jeno, and he couldn’t help but feel like a creep. Just yesterday, Jeno was an annoying nuisance he had to deal with. But somehow, Renjun’s perspective turned around in less than 24 hours.

Renjun snorted, cracking open his window to get a better look, and yelled down, “You’re not improving. Seriously, play the damn piano somewhere else.” But he smiled to let Jeno know that he was joking.

Jeno stopped playing, and looked up, eyes catching the light. Jeno was grinning widely, and he tossed Renjun a wave. “Hey! If you have something to say, say it to my face.”

Well, Renjun didn’t think that Jeno would tease back. Was this flirting?

“That's the plan,” Renjun said back, already closing his window and making his way down the stairs and out the door.

Yeah. This was definitely flirting.

He ran up to Jeno, noticing how Jeno looked much more flustered up close. Renjun took pride in that. But Renjun also noticed how much shorter the shorts were up close, and how tightly the tank top clung to Jeno’s thin figure. It was flattering in ways that Renjun didn’t know existed.

Jeno’s skin was warm toned and smooth. A great contrast to Renjun’s pasty complexion. Not to mention those gorgeous eyes. Fuck. Looking this good should be illegal.

“Heyo,” Jeno said, not looking up from his sheet music as he began to play another song. Renjun listened, noting with slight respect that Jeno actually was improving—despite what Renjun said earlier—even in the few days that Renjun knew him.

“Sorry for not calling,” Renjun said, trying not to sound to rough. He never meant to sound rough, but he was told that sometimes his words had a bite of sarcasm that he didn’t intend.

Thankfully, all Jeno did was smile, and Renjun’s heart started doing flips.

Did Jeno ever stop smiling? Jesus Christ.

“It’s fine. I like talking to you in person better anyway,” Jeno said, blushing from his toes to the tip of his head. “And you probably haven’t even put my contact into your phone yet.” Jeno stopped playing the piano, taping on his lap with one hand. With his other hand, he rubbed the back of his neck, shifting from on his stool in uncertainty.

“I added your contact on my phone the moment I got home,” Renjun grumbled. And then he wanted to smack himself in the face because he wasn’t supposed to admit that aloud. Idiot, idiot, idiot—

“Huh.” Jeno cocked his head to the side. “So were you just pretending not to want to go on a date with me? Listen, I don’t know who told you that playing hard to get was cute, but it’s not.” Jeno cocked his head again, deep in thought. “Actually, playing hard to get might be a little cute. But only a little. I would’ve been a lot less anxious if you just told me ‘yes’ straight up, you know?”

Renjun wanted to dig his own grave, or smack Jeno on the head. Biting his lip, he managed to spit out, “I wasn’t playing hard to get!”

Jeno gave a toothy grin, wagging a finger in Renjun’s face. “You totally were! You came up with all these excuses!” Then, with a high pitched voice, Jeno gave the worse Renjun impression that Renjun had heard in his entire life. “’Oh, but you’re a dangerous college boy. You don’t even know my name. Your piano playing sucks. Yadda, yadda, yadda.’”

“I never said the last one,” Renjun huffed, trying not to grin.

“Yeah, but you were totally thinking it.”

Renjun shrugged, but he didn’t deny it. After all, it was the truth. “You’re improving,” he offered as a sort of compensation, and Jeno beamed.

“Really? You think so? Because you just said that I wasn’t literally a minute ago.” Even with his uncertainty, Jeno was nearly jumping out of his seat, way too excited from a simple compliment.

Renjun nodded, biting his lip hard so he wouldn’t accidentally laugh out loud. “Yeah. I really think so.”

Jeno whooped, throwing his hands in the air in a form of celebration, and Renjun nearly choked on his spit because he just got a really good view of the entire left side of Jeno’s body.

Thank you, tank top, for providing him this opportunity of staring at the glorious skin of Jeno whatever-his-last-name-is.

Renjun would’ve probably actually gotten on the ground and prayed if it wasn’t for Jeno’s cute giggle interrupting his thoughts.

“So,” Jeno said, cheeks pink and eyes twinkling. It was the type of innocence that Renjun didn’t want to touch, but to ravish. Jeno was the type of person who was untouchable. Jeno was the type of beautiful that was eternal. “About that date.”

Oh, right. The date. That was the only reason Renjun was out there in the first place. As a grade A introvert, there were very few things that could get Renjun out of his room. But apparently planning a date with a bright-eyed brat was one of them.

“Right. The date,” Renjun mused, leaning on Jeno’s piano with an ease that he didn’t know he possessed. Good. Keep being smooth. “Have anywhere in mind?”

No, Renjun wasn’t making his voice husky just to see Jeno blush again. Okay, so maybe he was. But it was totally worth it because Jeno turned pink again, hair at the nape of his neck bristling like cat.

“Oh my god,” Jeno whined, putting his face into his hand. Renjun couldn’t help but chuckle slightly, relishing in Jeno’s embarrassment. “Please don’t talk like that,” Jeno said, voice muffled by his hands. “It’s too cute. No! That was hot.”

“Says the guy wearing short-shorts and a tank top. Speak for yourself.”

Jeno blushed even deeper, if possible, and Renjun loved every second of it.

“It was hot out,” Jeno mumbled, voice rising an octave. “And besides, I wasn’t wearing it just to seduce you.” Jeno looked up, and Renjun raised an eyebrow. “Okay, fine,” Jeno relented. “Maybe it was to seduce you.”

Renjun’s other eyebrow went up, and he could feel his heart skip a beat. Jeno leaned in closer, and Renjun tried not to breathe Jeno’s scent in too deeply, because that would be weird.

“Did it work?” Jeno whispered, mouth so close to Renjun’s ear that he could feel a tickle of Jeno’s breath along his neck.

Renjun nodded, lump stuck in his throat. “Yeah,” he croaked, trying to get his hormones in check. “It worked. You can stop now.”

Jeno studied Renjun’s face, and the air was charged with tension while Renjun struggled to not make a sound. Finally, finally, Jeno leaned back, satisfied, before a laugh erupted out of him. It was a booming laughter, high-pitched and gasping, and before Renjun knew it, Jeno was doubled over, slapping his piano. “You should’ve seen your face!” Jeno exclaimed, and Renjun groaned in mortification, laughing at his own expense. Yes it was funny, and yes, it was hot as fuck. But it was also embarrassing beyond Renjun’s capacity of comprehension.

What did he do to deserve this? All he wanted was to come ask about the date. He didn’t ask to be seduced by a boy with killer legs and beautiful eyes.

Jeno smiled, and he seemed completely content with the stunt he just pulled. “Wow. I didn’t know I had that effect on you. Paybacks a bitch, huh. Not that I didn’t like your 'hot' voice. Please use it more.”

“You mean this voice?” Renjun asked, playfully wiggling his thin eyebrows as he drew his voice even lower than it already was. Really, he was just trying to recover his pride and ego, fanning his face while he’s at it to make the blush go down. He was sure he looked like a tomato.

Jeno nodded enthusiastically. “Yes please.”

And then Renjun remembered—probably for the fifth time since he left his house—that right, he was there to talk about the date.

“The date. We need to talk about the date,” Renjun said, and Jeno pouted.

“Fine,” Jeno moaned, rolling his eyes before immediately perking up once he registered by Renjun said. “Right, the date!”

Jeno then got out his cellphone, standing up so he could be next to Renjun, and Renjun was suddenly aware that Jeno’s bare thigh was pressing against Renjun’s leg. “Here,” Jeno said, shoving the phone in front of Renjun’s face. “I wrote down a bunch of places we could go. Do you like museums?”

Renjun shook his head, grimacing. Museums were boring as hell.

Jeno nodded, deleting the word ‘museum’ from his notes. “Good. I hate museums. Um, what about the beach?”

“No. Sand everywhere.”

Jeno hummed in agreement, deleting that off the list as well. “Maybe the park?”

Renjun opened his mouth to speak, but Jeno cut him off before he could even get out a word. “No,” Jeno mumbled. “Too generic.”

Jeno kept scrolling through his notes, and Renjun had to cram his neck back to see it since Jeno shoved it so close to Renjun’s face. Jeno had written down so many places that Renjun was completely disoriented, not sure where to look.

Zoo, aquarium, laser tag, picnic, waterpark, fancy schamncy restaurant, McDonalds (No, Jeno. Renjun won’t like that. Have you seen that body? There’s no way he eats McDonalds).

Renjun pretended that he didn’t see the last one, but he could feel his ego puff up significantly. “Hmm…” Renjun said, eyes scanning the small screen of the phone. “What about that one?” He pointed to ‘aquarium.’

Jeno shook his head. “No. I hate aquariums. I don’t even know why I put that there.”

Renjun rolled his eyes, surprised that he wasn’t more annoyed. If it was anyone else, he probably would’ve ditched already and decided against going on a date at all. But it was Jeno, and Renjun didn’t know why, but he wanted this date almost as badly as Jeno did. ‘Almost’ being the key word. After all, Renjun wasn’t the one who wrote a list of fifty date ideas.

“What about the waterpark?” Renjun suggested, sighing in relief when Jeno perked up.

“Oh yeah, the waterpark! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“You did,” Renjun pointed out, but Jeno only waved him off.

“Details, details.” He pocketed his cellphone, turning to Renjun to address him. Renjun could feel himself melt into a puddle when Jeno stared up at him with his forever smiling eyes, knees going weak.

Fuck, Jeno had him smitten, and Renjun barely knew him.

“We need the date, time, and where to meet,” Jeno said, listing off each point with a finger.

Renjun nodded. “When are you free?”

“Any time when there’s no school.”

“Same.”

Jeno clapped his hands, and why the fuck did hand clapping suddenly look so cute?

“Let’s go tomorrow!” Jeno said.

“Tomorrow?!” Renjun parroted, only with a bit more surprise. Tomorrow was too soon. How was he supposed to prepare his poor heart for this? God dammit. Jeno would be the death of him.

“Yeah. Tomorrow. I’ll meet you here after school, and you can take me to the waterpark!”

Jeno seemed so excited, and Renjun really found himself unable to say no, so he nodded again, swallowing thickly. “Sure, tomorrow,” he said weakly, feeling woozy when Jeno smiled even wider, white teeth on display.

And then Renjun noticed that it was quite late, and that his Physics project was due tomorrow. “I should go,” he said, although reluctantly. He wanted to stay and listen to Jeno play more of his god-awful piano. He wanted to stay and keep ogling Jeno’s bare legs. But Physics was waiting, and Renjun really didn’t want to fail school just yet.

Jeno didn’t seem deterred by Renjun’s sudden parting, only nodding happily. “Sure. Sorry to keep you for so long. Have fun doing your project!”

Renjun nodded weakly, turning to leave, only to be surprised by Jeno’s small hand stopping him. “Wait. A parting gift for good luck,” Jeno said, looking to the ground shyly.

Renjun wasn’t used to a shy Jeno, so he narrowed his eyes. “What are you planning you—”

And with a quick swoop of his head, Jeno effectively cut Renjun off by planting a chaste kiss onto Renjun’s cheek, blushing almost as hard as Renjun.

Renjun’s eyes widened, and he could feel a warmth spread from the area where Jeno’s lips touched his skin all the way to the tip of his toes.

Fuck. Did that just happen?

Renjun touched his cheek, frozen, even once Jeno went back to the piano and started playing again.

Yes. Yes it did.

And Renjun grinned, nearly skipping back to his door, before something occurred to him.

“Wait!” He called out to Jeno, who was really only a couple of meters away. “How did you know that I have a project to finish?”

 

“I can’t believe that you’re a stalker,” Renjun said.

“I'm not!” Jeno defended, folding his arms and sticking out his bottom lip. He looked like a kitten. An adorable, angry, and defiant kitten.

“Oh? And pray tell, how did you know about my Physics project?” Renjun asked, smirking once Jeno began to blush.

They were sitting in Renjun’s car on the way to the waterpark, and Renjun would be lying if he said that he wasn’t looking forwards to seeing Jeno in swim trunks.

And to think that he hated him not even three days ago.

Renjun scoffed internally at his own patheticness, and he wondered when he became such a shallow, horny teenager.

“My sister’s in you class,” Jeno mumbled, looking out the window so Renjun couldn’t see his face. But Renjun wasn’t stupid, and he knew that Jeno was only doing it to hide his embarrassment.

Eyes trained on the road, only able to see Jeno in his peripheral vision, Renjun hummed. “And who’s you’re sister?”

“Hina.”

Renjun’s eyes shot open in surprise, and he cast a quick glance in Jeno’s direction. Jeno still wasn’t looking at him, and the condensation of his breath was fogging the windows. Renjun grimaced, realizing that he would have to clean it later.

“Hina is your sister?” Renjun asked, not even bothering to keep his voice neutral.

Jeno nodded, mumbling a “Yup.” But he didn’t say anything else. His smile, however, spoke volumes. He was practically bouncing up and down in his seat, although he still avoided Renjun’s gaze like the Black Plague. Really, Jeno didn’t seem so embarrassed when he propositioned a date. So why did he get flustered over the littlest things?

“You look nothing alike,” Renjun remarked, and Jeno nodded vigorously in agreement.

“I know,” he said, almost exasperated. He finally turned to look at Renjun, although Renjun couldn’t return the sentiment seeing as he was driving. But it seemed like Jeno already shed of the embarrassment, which was a feat that Renjun would like to learn.

Seriously. Who could forget embarrassment so easily? Renjun couldn’t calm down from a blush for what felt like hours, and Jeno brushed it off like it was nothing.

“But Hina was adopted, so we’re not actually blood related. Not that blood has anything to do with family, because it doesn’t.” Jeno was rambling, and Renjun let him. After all, he wanted to get to know Jeno. “And she was adopted when she was ten, and I was nine. And I don’t want to brag or anything, but she was smitten with me the moment she saw me.”

“Smitten?”

“Okay. Poor wording. Maybe she wasn’t smitten. I mean, she did smite the people who tried to get close to me—”

At this, both Renjun and Jeno giggled.

Giggled.

When was the last time Renjun giggled? He didn’t think that he ever giggled in his life time. And now, look at him. The great, grumpy Renjun, giggling at some stupid thing that a stupid boy said.

“—but she loved me. And it was extremely overbearing at times, but I kind of miss it now.”

“She’s not overbearing anymore?” Renjun asked.

“Nah. But she does like to get up in my business more often than not. So anyway, she told me you were in my class because I’ve been admiring you for a while—” Jeno broke off, covering his mouth. “I, uh, wasn’t supposed to tell you that.”

He was as red as a tomato once again, and Renjun couldn’t help but smile widely. “Yeah. I already figured that out myself,” Renjun said, loving every moment that Jeno turned a darker shade of pink.

“How?!” Jeno asked, indignant. “I was being super subtle!” He crossed his arms over his chest, huffing, embarrassment still lingering. And if Renjun wasn’t driving, he probably would’ve reached over and pat Jeno on the head.

“Well, for one, normal people don’t pursue a relationship with someone who insults them,” Renjun said, noting how Jeno visibly brightened, blush already fading.

“Is that what this is? A relationship?” Jeno asked, bouncing in his seat once again.

“Oi, calm down. We haven’t even kissed yet,” Renjun was quick to respond, trying not to freak out.

Why did you bring up the word ‘relationship’, you idiot, he chastised himself, heartbeat quickening.

“You brought it up,” Jeno said pointedly, and Renjun could only sigh because was true. “And besides. You totally want to kiss me. Admit it.”

Where did the sudden confidence come from?

And Renjun couldn’t respond. Mostly because it was kind of true. Jeno had nice lips. Nice, red, amazing lips. And Renjun would be more than happy to kiss them. But not now. He was driving, and he wasn’t ready.

In case you hadn’t realized, Renjun wasn’t a relationship person. Nor was he a one night stand person. Renjun was the kind of person who stayed up on the weekends to knit, and who only ever kissed two people before. He had never gone to second base, or third base, or whatever base.

Well, actually, there was that one time he accidently groped a girls boobs. But it was an accident! He didn’t know that she just happened to be standing right behind him. There was also that time he punched some guy in the balls, and that was not an accident. But it also wasn’t meant for romantic or sexual purposes.

Huh. Renjun was even more horrible at romance than he originally thought.

Thankfully, Jeno let it drop, and a comfortable silence settled upon them, only broken by Jeno’s fingers rapidly moving across the dashboard.

“What are you doing?” Renjun demanded, peering at Jeno out of the corner of his eye. Jeno’s fingers were making an awful tapping sound, and Renjun’s previous attraction turned into irritation. Irritation out of endearment, probably. Wait, what?

“I’m playing the piano,” Jeno said, glancing at Renjun with a bright twinkle in his annoyingly green eyes.

“There’s no piano there,” Renjun stated rather dryly.

“Well, obviously not,” Jeno said, rolling his eyes.

Renjun did not titter. He did not.

“Hey, Renjun. Do you think that we can make a quick stop at my house so I can grab my piano?”

“Oh my god. What the fuck are you going to do with a piano at a waterpark?”

Renjun had no idea how they even fit the piano into the car, but they did it.

Renjun also had no idea how they transported the piano out of the car and into the grass. But there it was, resting comfortably, several meters away from the small waterpark filled with filthy children.

“I’m not going in there,” Renjun grimaced, pointing into the direction of the water park. There was no way that he was even getting a meter closer to the disgusting, snotty kids.

“Neither am I,” Jeno shrugged, and Renjun turned to look at him in disbelief.

He threw his hands up, staring incredulously at the stupid (good-looking) boy in front of him. “Then why did we come here in the first place?”

Jeno shrugged again, a smile tugging at his lips. “I just wanted to spend time with you,” Jeno said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

And, god dammit, Jeno really knew how to tug at Renjun’s heartstrings because the next thing he knew, he was warm all over.

When was the last time Renjun felt this warm?

And fuck, Jeno was too sweet for him. Too sweet, and too beautiful, and much too wonderful.

“Don’t say things like that,” Renjun whined. Yes, he actually whined. “It makes it so much harder not to kiss you.”

Oh god, why did he say that? He wasn’t supposed to say that! It just fell out of his mouth. And Renjun knew that Jeno knew that Renjun wanted to kiss him, but saying it gave it an entire new meaning.

Saying it meant that Renjun was admitting it. And aloud, no less.

Crap, crap, crap, crap, cra—

“Then kiss me, you nerd. What are you waiting for?”

Jeno was looking at Renjun expectantly, and Renjun was a loss for words.

Because those lips. Damn, those lips. And those eyes, and arms, and legs. And Jeno was wearing shorts again. And Jeno was wearing a tank top again. And Renjun was sure that he would have an aneurysm before Jeno got any closer to him.

Because his was aching to touch Jeno. Aching to hold him, and ravish him, and kiss him until every inch of his body was covered with Renjun. And god, Renjun never felt like this with anyone before.

“Kiss me,” Jeno repeated, this time more quietly. With slow steps, Jeno came closer and closer to Renjun until their noses were practically touching.

Renjun was warm. He was warm all over.

And Jeno was hot, like fire. Jeno was Renjun’s breath, and air, and everything in between.

And so, before he could lose his nerve, Renjun leaned in and kissed Jeno.

Jeno’s lips were chapped, but soft at the safe time. And their noses were touching, and Renjun was on his tippy-toes, and Jeno was kissing back. And he knew that Jeno would kiss him back, but thinking it and experiencing it were two different things.

Renjun was burning, and it was a burn he loved. It was slow, and steady, and Renjun somehow found his hands going under Jeno’s tank top. And he was touching Jeno’s hot, hot, hot skin, and Jeno was letting him.

Jeno’s hands were running through Renjun’s hair, and he didn’t want it to ever stop. He hoped it would never stop. Because Jeno’s skin was so smooth against his rough fingers, and Jeno’s lips felt so right against his own.

The fluttering in Renjun’s chest had started the moment he met Jeno, and it never stopped. But now, it was pounding. He could feel his heartbeat, and he was so flushed against Jeno that he was sure Jeno could feel it too.

The steady thump, thump, thumps.

The blood flowing in his veins.

He was alive.

He was alive, and Jeno was making him feel it for what felt like the first time.

And with the annoyingly attractive boy kissing him, Renjun felt like he could fly.

“Screw the waterpark. Let’s get out of here.”

“But my piano. We can’t just leave it here.”

“God dammit. I always knew there was reason why I hated that thing.”

 

Renjun was exhausted, and university was finally out for the summer. Really, he would love nothing more than to go back to his small apartment and collapse onto the bed. And maybe then he could nap for a two months before his last year in school began.

But he had somewhere to be.

So he got into his car, put in a CD that contained an impressive catalog of Jeno’s piano playing, and started driving.

It was a twenty minute drive that consisted of stomach flipping, nerves, and eagerness. And Renjun was excited, and proud, and bumbling with nervous energy the entire way.

And once he finally got to his destination, he couldn’t even think straight. Cars packed the parking lot to the brim, and it took fifteen more minutes just to find a space. And god, Renjun really hoped that his hair looked all right, and that casual clothes were okay, and that his road rage didn’t show much on his face.

And then he remembered that Jeno would be dressed in formal wear, and he maybe salivated at the thought, but just a little.

Then he thought of ripping the formal clothes off Jeno’s body and—

Renjun shook his head. Nope. Not the time. Not the time at all.

He schooled his features and got out of his car, squinting against the setting sun that was dyeing the sky a bright orange. And with much difficulty, he read out the faded sign on the building.

‘Music Hall.’

Renjun couldn’t help the smile that stretched across his lips, something he got used to doing for the past several years. And Renjun also couldn’t help the swell of absolute pride stirring in his chest.

Because Jeno made it.

After nearly five years’ worth of horrible piano playing keeping Renjun up all night, Jeno was here, ready to perform in front of thousands of people. And Renjun would be watching in the audience, cheering Jeno on every step of the way.

With that thought, Renjun stepped into the building, tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and made a right to the auditorium. He had long gotten used to coming here. Mostly because Jeno would drag him here to watch other people perform.

But now, Jeno was the one doing the performing, and Renjun could feel the flutter of excitement open up inside him.

He entered the auditorium, and found that it was already full, packed with people of all ages. And the crowd would usually bother Renjun, but not today. Today, he didn’t care about anything but Jeno. Today, he was devoted to one thing and one thing only.

So Renjun dealt with the dust, and the grime, and the sweaty people. And Renjun dealt with the ten extra minutes of anticipation as the lights slowly dimmed teasingly.

And Renjun dealt with the loud clapping, and the babies crying (because there’s always at least one), and the old people snoring.

And then Renjun didn’t have to deal anymore, because someone was walking onto the stage, and the entire building seemed to quiet. It was someone awkward, but confident. Someone relatively tall, but small in build, and who never quite filled out. Someone beautiful, with forever smiling eyes that Renjun could see from ten rows above.

A sharp intake of a breath was heard, and Renjun was perfectly aware that it was his own. Because Jeno was dressed in a button down and tight jeans. And Jeno was warm and beautiful. And it was the Jeno that Renjun got to come home to everyday in their apartment, but it was also a different Jeno.

This Jeno was nervous, but excited.

This Jeno was fidgety, but collected.

This Jeno was dressed in nice clothes—

Wait. Was that Renjun’s shirt? Oh god, it was totally Renjun’s shirt. No wonder why it looked so familiar, that damned brat. 

Renjun shook his head, snorting, but far too used with Jeno’s antics to be surprised.

And Jeno walked up to the piano, bending down to adjust the seat, before sitting down. His hands came to a rest on the piano, but he didn’t start to play yet. Instead, he shifted his body slightly, and his bright eyes searched the room, taking in the polite and tense silence. Taking in everyone. And he was scanning every row, and every seat.

And Renjun knew who he was looking for, so he raised his skinny hand, waving. He didn’t know if Jeno would see it. He didn’t know if he was even noticeable in this crowd of hundreds. And it was awkward because the person next to him was staring, and so was the person behind and in front of him. But he didn’t care.

Because Jeno noticed.

Because Jeno always noticed.

And Renjun watched as Jeno’s face lit up into a beautiful smile, and he tentatively waved back. Renjun watched as Jeno took a deep breath, turning back to the piano.

Renjun crossed his fingers, and watched as Jeno’s slender fingers pressed down on the first note.

And then Renjun lost himself.

Because, god, Jeno could play.

And sure, Renjun never liked music much, but Jeno made him like it. Jeno made him love it. Jeno made him want to never stop listening to music, and to put it on repeat for the rest of his life. Because when Renjun was with Jeno, everything was in colour. Every note that Jeno played burst into songbirds and blue and reds and yellows.

Because Jeno played pink, and magenta, and every single colour related to love.

Renjun watched as Jeno’s fingers danced rapidly across the instrument that was so much larger than the one they had at home. Jeno’s hands were crossing over and under, and scaling the black and white keys as music flowed from his fingertips.

And Renjun was in love. Renjun was in love, and he didn’t care because he was in love with Jeno.

 

“You were incredible.”

A kiss.

“Unbelievable.”

A kiss.

“I didn’t know you could play like that.”

A kiss.

“Actually, I totally did.”

A kiss.

“And also, don’t wear my clothes you shitty brat.”

A kiss.

Jeno laughed. “Sorry. It was the only fancy thing in the house.”

Renjun adored Jeno’s laugh. Renjun adored Jeno’s everything.

“I love you,” Renjun said, and he was never good with romance, but he tried to put every feeling he was harbouring into those three words.

“I love you too,” Jeno said back, setting a head onto Renjun’s shoulders, wrapped in Renjun’s arms. And Renjun’s heart filled with something so beautiful, and so heart-wrenchingly lovely, that he couldn’t breathe for a second.

Because Jeno was a person made of colour.

Because Renjun didn’t know that his world was gray until it wasn’t anymore.


End file.
